Grapes: Pinot Noir
Region: Alsace, France
Vintage: 2021
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Schist + Volcanic Sandstone
Vinification: Whole cluster in tanks
Aging: 8 months in barrels
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added
Notes from the Importer: Since taking over the family winery at the age of 18, Bernard Bohn has crafted an individually unique style of wines on the only outcrop of schist terroir in Alsace. The Bohn family members have been winegrowers for well over three centuries in Reichsfeld, a small village at the far end of the valley, where until recently, the local Alsatian dialect was still more common than French. Today, Bernard and his son Arthur farm just over 9 hectares and go beyond organic agriculture to incorporate uncommon techniques, such as completely abandoning vineyard plowing and allowing cover crops to coexist to create balance in the vines.
Bernard has always had an independent streak. While still in high school, he decided to leave his Jesuit boarding school and enroll in the local winemaking program. With the bare minimum certification in hand, he returned home and announced to his father that he would like to take over the winery. At the time, the domaine was spread out over many small parcels in the village, but Bernard had his sights on the Schieferberg, a backbreaking steep slope composed of nearly pure schist, where the Bohn family had constructed a small chapel many years earlier. Through a series of purchases, inherited vineyards, and trades with other winemakers who preferred flatter and easier to work parcels, Bohn managed to cobble together a single 5-hectare parcel of old vine Riesling and Pinot Gris.
